Chosen (Omega Levi x Monarch Reader)

Chapter 3: You

"Levi Ackerman, Your Majesty."

You took a deep breath, silently recalling as much as you could about the omega from the brief minute you'd had to glance over his records. He was twenty-eight – three years older than you – and from the town of Ore in the province of Adamite, which was known for its metal-mining industry. He'd attended the local grade school, but you couldn't remember what came after that. Or...perhaps there hadn't been a record of it?

You'd known selecting a mate from three-hundred omegas would be a daunting task – which, you assumed, was why some of your predecessors had opted for various means of culling the herd before actually having a conversation with any of them. Your approach was, at least in your own opinion, kinder and more respectful of the omegas who inconvenienced themselves to participate, but that came at a heavy price. You felt physically and mentally exhausted, and you weren't even halfway done yet.

You'd spent your adult life at social event after social event, meeting hundreds of people whose names and faces you had to keep straight, and although you'd never particularly enjoyed the floods of shallow interactions, practice had made you good at them by now. Yet, the Choosing was already proving to be more taxing than anything you'd faced before – probably because your marriage was depending on it. It led you to a lot of overthinking.

But right now, you needed to focus on the present. You exhaled and forced yourself to momentarily forget about everything else. After all, there was a chance the person who walked through that door would become your mate – a one-in-three-hundred chance, but still a chance. At the very least, maybe this conversation wouldn't be as draining as some of the others.

Your attendant stepped to the side, and in strolled a male omega with silky black hair, pale skin, and striking, mercury eyes. He was easily one of the more beautiful ones here – yet, as you observed him, you noticed signs of hardship with a twinge of concern in your stomach. His eyes were rimmed with dark bags that suggested he didn't get enough sleep. His clothes – a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt – were neat but worn out. And while most omegas were petite, you wondered if this one was getting enough to eat.

Your attendant shut the door with a soft click, leaving the two of you alone in the sitting room. Well, alone save for the guard standing at the far end. You'd wanted to have a private conversation with each of the omegas, and besides, it wasn't as if anyone truly believed an omega could pose a threat to an alpha in her prime. However, your security team had been so adamant that you'd consented to have one guard in the room – your most trusted, and the best at keeping secrets, so your interactions wouldn't become palace gossip.

"Hello, Levi," you greeted him, smiling politely from your seat on the opposite side of the small, marble table. "Please, sit down." You didn't bother instructing your attendants to have the omegas bow. One of them would be your partner at the end of all this – and besides, you always felt awkward when people bowed to you. Although, many of the omegas still did it even without prompting.

Levi gave a curt nod and stepped to the open chair across from you. He pulled it out and slumped down – then, as if it were an afterthought, straightened himself up a bit. That interested you, if only because it was so different from the norm. All the other omegas had practically been stiff as boards, determined to make a good impression.

You took a breath and said the same thing you'd told all the others. "Thank you so much for coming. I hope your journey was a pleasant one."

"S'alright," he grumbled, shrugging one shoulder.

Again, you couldn't help marveling at how different his attitude was. Most of the others had taken the opportunity to go on and on about how honored they were to be part of the Choosing, how they hoped to please their queen. But not this one.